Naruto: A Hero's Tale
by xxxYin-Yangxxx
Summary: A small twist of fate made Naruto find out about a secret that will set a chain reaction that would ultimately change his life. But would it be for the better, or for worse? /NaruHarem/ /AU/ /FemSasuke/
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

On top of the Yondaime's head at the Hokage Monument, Naruto continued to stare at the stars in the night sky as he held his new Konoha forehead protector, a symbol meaning he had become a ninja, with an elated smile, not the grin that everyone knew, but a true smile, the smile that only a few people had ever witnessed.

It was a good day for him. There was no doubt. He had become a genin, he now knew the reason why he was hated, and finally someone acknowledged him. And things were only going to get better. In fact, the reason why he couldn't sleep was because tomorrow was his most awaited day, the day that he knew who his parents were.

A long time ago, when he was a kid, a certain incident made his grandfather-figure make a deal with him that when he finally graduated from the academy, he'd be told who his parents were.

"Had it really been that long?" He wondered silently, chuckling after saying that. Now that he thought about it, the stars in the sky awfully looked a lot like the saw he saw on that night too.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

* * *

_'Who do I have to fight?' Naruto wondered as he took a glance at the most popular kid in the academy, silently hoping that he'd be his next opponent. 'Which one is it going to be?' He really did wish he'd fight against the last Uchiha. Then after he kicked his ass, he'd be popular._

_Naruto turned his attention back to the current fight, which was Chouji against Shikamaru, who he silently dubbed as the smart, lazy-ass bastard. It was no secret to him that Shikamaru was smart; Shikamaru just wore a mask, pretending to be dumb, just like he does._

_"It's fine, sensei. I'm losing by ring out." Shikamaru turned and started to walk away from the circle. "Call in the next pair."_

_Naruto scoffed at his friend's laziness, but it was admirable that he did it in concern for Chouji, it was for that did the blonde boy respect the pineapple-haired genius._

_"Next is Uzumaki Naruto," He perked up after hearing his name, "and Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto raised an eyebrow as the said person stepped out of the crowd and into the circle with many girls screaming for his name._

'Who does he think he is?'_ Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at the raven-haired boy. '_He's all popular… If I win, I'll be the popular one!'_ He declared to himself._

_His opponent just stared at him stoically, making him very unnerved and irritated._

_"All right! I won't lose this one!" He pumped both his fist determinedly._

_"Naruto Uzumaki vs. Uchiha Sasuke!" Iruka announced._

_"Prepare to eat dirt teme!"_

_Iruka shouted, "Naruto! Before the spar, you have to make the Seal of Confrontation!" Naruto just waved his hand lazily._

_"Whatever, I just want to wipe the floor with this teme!"_

_"Baka… I'll take you down in one," Sasuke stated. Naruto glared at him even harder._

_"Stop it! Both of you," Iruka reprimanded before going into another lecture about tradition of sparring and that being the proper etiquette of a shinobi._

_"Yeah, yeah," he said dismissingly as he put his pinky on his ear to show how bored he is._

_"One 'Yeah' is fine!" Naruto scoffed and did what his sensei asked. He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke as he brought up his right hand to form a seal._

_"All right already…"_

_"Hajime!" With that, both kids charged at each other. _

_What Naruto didn't expect to happened was for Sasuke to swipe his feet from below, making him fall backwards. He closed his eyes for one brief moment and when he opened them, Sasuke was already on top of him, his fist poised to strike. But it wasn't those things that caught his attention. It was something in his eyes._

_He stared at the eyes of his opponent, not caring that he had been humiliated. There was something that made him feel uneasy about his stare. It was the stare that everyone else in the village gives him every day. No. His stare was more intense, he was looking at him and at the same time he was not. He could see the hate and loneliness behind them. All the frustrations and the dark feelings balled up into one._

_A normal person might not have noticed the emotions the Uchiha held, but after all his interactions with the spiteful villagers, he started to notice a person's intentions just by looking him or her at the eyes._

_Wordlessly, Sasuke moved from on top of him and walked away. Naruto snapped back to reality and glared at the Uchiha's retreating back._

_"Now make the Seal of Reconciliation and we'll move on." Iruka said._

_Seeing that Sasuke didn't have any intentions of moving to do what Iruka said he growled a bit. "So I'm not even worth reconciling with? TEME!" Iruka hit him on the head. "Ow!"_

_"I told you to make the Seal of Reconciliation! It's sacred tradition!" Naruto huffed as he stood up and hesitantly approached the equally hesitant Sasuke. When their fingers met halfway, though, both of them reached out to the other's collar and brought them closer to each other with a scathing glare._

_"Want to lose again dobe?" Sasuke taunted monotonously._

_"Break it up!" Iruka came in between them and separated them. "Enough already!"_

_"Tch!" Naruto turned around and walked towards the fence, ignoring the jibes of his classmates. He jumped out from the fence and dashed away to his house, intent on doing a prank to calm his mind._

* * *

_Naruto jumped up on the roof, trying to escape the mob that was after him. They were always so gullible when it came to chasing him. To his satisfaction, he heard their footsteps getting further and further away from his real position._

_"Hehe, stupid villagers." He laughed to himself. He started to walk to the direction of his house when he came across his sparring partner from earlier, Uchiha Sasuke. He seemed to be sneaking around, and the Uchiha sneaking around was all the reason he needed to follow him. Who knows? He might find something to blackmail the stuck-up teme later on!_

_As stealthily as he could, Naruto dropped to the ground. He stiffened as he saw Sasuke stop. He quickly hid behind the wall. Soon after, he heard Sasuke's footsteps once more and he followed him again. After a while, Sasuke stepped into a very familiar place, the Uchiha district._

_Naruto's favorite place besides the Hokage tower was the Uchiha district. It was the only place that was filled with people who treated him like a person, even if he did occasionally pull pranks on them, light pranks, but pranks nonetheless. They were also one of the only people who can catch him, so his respect for them was very high. They were also very nice, even if sometimes they get arrogant, especially a guy named Fugaku._

_Now that was one man he can remember very well. He and a boy, who he assumed was Fugaku's son, always helped him get out of a pinch whenever the villagers decide that the 'demon' was getting dangerous. The man was also very hospitable as he sometimes invite him for dinner with his family._

_It was for those reasons that he cried when he heard that Itachi, who he looked up to as a brother, killed the whole clan just very recently. It was very hard for him to accept the passing of the clan, but when he heard that there was a survivor, he got excited and decided that he would make the survivor his friend, that was until he learned that the survivor was Sasuke._

_Speaking of the stuck-up bastard, he was currently going inside the district. Regardless of the possible consequences if he was found out, Naruto followed the boy inside. Sasuke entered the biggest house in the center of the district. It was the house of his old friends._

_"But why are you going there?" He silently wondered. As far as he can remember, Fugaku-ojisan didn't have any other children besides Itachi and the silent girl who was always behind her brother. That girl was very annoying though, always sticking her tongue out towards him, but it was a bit adorable._

_He rushed towards the house and peeked inside through the window. Sasuke walked towards the place where there were two chalk markings and then kneeled helplessly. His whole body was facing away from Naruto, so he didn't know what he was doing exactly, but he had a guess, seeing how the boy was trembling, he figured he was crying._

_"Tou-sama, Kaa-chan." He heard Sasuke say shakily. Naruto frowned in sympathy. While he may not have had parents before, he could sympathize with the feeling of loneliness and helplessness. Even if Sasuke was a teme, he'd give him a break._

_He was about to leave when something caught his eye. What was that teme doing? Sasuke brought up both of his hands to form a seal and then he muttered a single word that made his view of Sasuke completely different._

_"Kai…" The boy said lifelessly. Wait. Not a boy._

_"Teme is an ama?" He whispered in disbelief. He stared at the person in the house and rubbed his eyes. It was no mistake. Sasuke was a she. The question is why she would want to pose as a male?_

_"Tou-sama, Kaa-chan, I fought with someone earlier, and I won. He was a bit annoying, but not as much as those fangirls, at least he had the decency of showing what he truly feels about me." Naruto heard Sasuke say, albeit with a higher, yet soft, voice. She was silent for a while. "It's unfair that I should be the only one to survive." He started to hear her sob. "Why did aniki have to kill you?" Her voice gradually got louder. "It's hard… couldn't he have left either one or both of you alive?" She whispered towards the end._

_Deciding that he had seen enough, Naruto started to leave. He was already invading someone else's privacy. He decided to ask the Hokage about all the things he found out today, it wouldn't do well for him to think excessively._

* * *

_Naruto got to his house and set aside all of the leftover paint from his early prank. He quickly dashed to his shower and took a bath. He had already decided to go to Hokage after he removed all the stains in his body._

_After almost an hour, he finally got out of the bath and he dressed himself up, eager to finally get the answers to his question. He needed to quell the confusion and the curiosity that bubbled up inside him._

_Just as he was about to finish putting on his shirt, however, a knock on the door was heard. He put on his shirt and cautiously walked towards the door. There were many times that the villagers tried to hurt him in his own house so he wasn't actually too trusting as to not check his door before opening it._

_"Who's there?" He asked._

_"It's me, Naruto." He heard his grandfather's voice from beyond the door. But he was still not satisfied._

_"How do I know it's you?" He asked once more. There was only one answer to that question and if the person answered incorrectly, then he'd be ignored._

_"A shinobi's word is his absolute truth." Naruto grinned. That was Jiji's favorite's phrase. Naruto rushed to the door and opened it, revealing a very kind-looking, old man._

_"Jiji!" He hugged the old man enthusiastically. Said old man chuckled mirthfully before walking inside, not minding the added heaviness._

_"I'm here to give you your monthly allowance. Spend it wisely now." The old man patted Naruto on the head._

_"Jiji." The seriousness in his voice got the attention of the old shinobi, so there was no backing out now. "Why does Sasuke henge himself to a boy?" At his question, He saw the wizened Hokage stiffen._

_"How did you come across that information Naruto?" He heard his grandfather figure ask him seriously._

_He hesitated. "I saw him… her going home and I decided to follow her, you know, to try to prank him, but then, she went into Fugaku-ojisan's house and she started talking to the chalk markings." Naruto frowned. "Then she removed her henge. She talked some more, and she cried." Naruto looked down. "I felt her loneliness Jiji."_

_The Hokage sighed and crouched. "Sasuke, or rather, Satsuki, needs to henge into a boy so that no one would take advantage of her. You've seen the drunkards near the Uchiha district right?" Naruto nodded. "Imagine what would happen if she would come across them." Naruto thought for a while before shivering._

_"She'd be abused…"_

_Sarutobi winced a bit. Naruto knew why. No child his age should've known that word, but if you keep overhearing other people say that word, it really ingrains inside your brain._

_"Yes, that's why it's best if you don't say that you know of Satsuki's true gender, even to Satsuki herself." The Hokage looked at him seriously in the eyes. Naruto nodded, but he still had another question._

_"Also Jiji, why did Itachi-nii kill the clan?" He heard the Hokage sigh again. "And I know he didn't do it because he felt like it. I saw it in his eyes."_

_"You really do resemble him a lot." He heard his Jiji whisper. But it confused him. Who did he resemble? "I don't suppose you'll let me go if I just gave you ramen." Naruto shook his head childishly, yet determinedly. The wizened shinobi sighed and sat down on a chair and put Naruto on his lap. "Before I start, I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone else what I will say to you now."_

_Naruto nodded vigorously. "I promise –ttebayo!"_

_"Do you know what happened on the day of your birth Naruto?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion, but nevertheless nodded._

_"The Kyuubi attacked Konoha and the Yondaime defeated it." Naruto said excitedly. The Yondaime was his idol. He gave his life to save his village and everyone respected him. He was what Naruto wanted to be; he was the person that he wanted to surpass._

_His grandfather-figure nodded and continued, "The villagers, thought that the Uchiha clan had a hand in bringing the Kyuubi to Konoha and-"_

_"But why? The Uchiha clan wouldn't do that!" Naruto protested._

_"Yes I know, but the only kind of person who could control Kyuubi was an Uchiha because of their eyes, so they were the primary suspect." The Hokage frowned and shook his head. "All these years many people blamed them and ostracized them. They only respected them begrudgingly because of their status of being the Konoha Military Police Force. Eventually, they got fed up from the people's suspicions and started to plan a coup d'état."_

_"What? Fugaku-ojisan wouldn't do that!" Naruto exclaimed, obviously surprised at the insinuation._

_"I'm sorry Naruto, but isolation can do things to people."_

_"But it didn't do anything to me." At his comment, the Hokage smiled sadly._

_"Things were getting out of hand and hope was slowly getting lost. We tried everything, but the negotiations were not going as well as we planned." Sarutobi looked sadly at Naruto. "Believe me Naruto, I didn't want to do it, I wasn't even the one who ordered it."_

_"Do what?"_

_"My advisors thought the negotiations to be a lost cause and ordered Itachi to kill the whole clan." Naruto's eyes widened as his whole body trembled in horror. "But Itachi pleaded with me to leave one person alive and also protect that person."_

_"Itachi-nii did that even if many people will hate him?"_

_"Itachi did it for his sister, for you, his family, his clan, and for the village." The Hokage finished._

_Silence reigned for a moment. "Why were they kind to me?" It was altogether confusing for him. He was of no importance, as far as he knew. He was also the village pariah, so if he was seen with them will most likely make things worse for them._

_The Hokage smiled kindly. "It's because they can sympathize with you, and also as a favor for your parents." Naruto's head jerked towards the Hokage when he heard his parents being mentioned._

_Naruto frowned. "Jiji… Can't you tell me who they were?" He pleaded with the old shinobi, his lower lip trembling._

_"I thought I already told you that I can't Naruto." The Hokage looked sad but sturdy._

_"But why?" He asked, his voice starting to get shaky. It made him mad. He would always see other people with their family and it made him jealous. And now his surrogate family was gone now too, it was getting hard for him to take it._

_"Your parents made many enemies."_

_"Then I won't say anything! Please Jiji, I want to know who they are!" Naruto cried out, tears flowing freely from his eyes._

_The Hokage didn't respond for a while, and then he sighed. "Let's make a compromise, once you graduate and become a genin, I'll tell you who your parents are, but again you must promise me that you won't tell anyone who they are."_

_Naruto looked down, sad that he wouldn't be able to find out right away, but it was as good as it gets so he nodded. "Okay, I promise."_

_The Hokage smiled tiredly and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Ok, now go to bed. You do want to say goodbye to your friends before they get buried right?" Naruto nodded and went to his bed, not bothering to change to his pajamas. "Good night Naruto." With that, the Hokage left._

* * *

_Rain poured down on Konohagakure no Sato, further adding to the depressing atmosphere that was already lingering on the funeral service. This was the day that one of Konoha's most prestigious clans was buried. There were many that attended, but far too few actually cared. One of them was Naruto._

_The blonde, spiky-haired boy continued to cry quietly as he said silent goodbyes towards the people who treated him like a person. It wasn't easy, the pain that continued to bother his heart was unbearable, but Sasuke… Satsuki, someone who was closer to them than he ever was, was holding on. So for her sake, he'll hold on too. **(A/N: from this point on, I'll be referring to Satsuki as Sasuke whenever he's in male form and Satsuki in female form.)**_

_As everyone said their final goodbyes, they also said their condolences to the last surviving Uchiha, but few truly meant it, and finally it was his turn, and none really minded that the 'demon' attended the service. For that, he was thankful._

_"You did many things for me, and you were one of the reasons why I didn't give up hope yet. You all treated me like family even if your reputation would be even more slandered, and for that, I will never forget you…" Naruto whispered quietly enough, that only he and Sasuke were the ones who could hear. He wiped the slowly flowing tears from his eyes and turned to his classmate._

_Sasuke was trembling. And his bangs covered his eyes, making it impossible to see whether the Uchiha was crying. But Naruto knew he wasn't crying. He was trying to put up bravado to save face and show the other villagers that he was not a crybaby. And it wasn't exactly healthy for him._

_Naruto sighed and cursed himself. He knew his next action would probably make many people angry at him, and it would probably lead to another day of torment. But if it was to help someone, albeit a little unorthodox, he would do anything. The things he does for other people._

_"Hey teme." Sasuke looked up curiously. Then what Naruto did next, would probably the dumbest thing that he had ever done so far. He punched Sasuke squarely on the jaw, making him fall._

_Many gasps and shouts of outrage were heard as Sasuke rubbed his jaw and glared at Naruto._

_"If you're going to cry, then do it." Naruto said sticking out his hand to help the Uchiha up. "There's no shame in crying about losing someone they love. Besides, I can't have my rival killing himself because of pent-up frustrations, can I?" Sasuke looked astonished, then he smiled, not smirked, but smile, a true smile, the first smile that he made ever since his clan died._

_"Tch, dobe." He heard Sasuke insult him but with an underlying tone of gratefulness hidden in it. Tears started to flow from Sasuke's face as he took Naruto's offered hand and pulled himself up. Once he was up, Sasuke whispered a very quiet 'thank you' that only he heard._

_"Don't think that this is going to be a regular thing teme…" He said smiling. "But for what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss…" And that was a statement that he really meant._

_He turned his back towards Sasuke and jumped away from the service, not bothering to stay and wait for the mass burial. Because of his brash actions, he probably won't be welcome anymore. Really, the absurd things he does just to make other people happy, and to make matters worse, someone else becomes unhappy._

_"Oh well." He sighed with a heavy heart. He didn't even get to see them get buried. At least he had said what he wanted to say to them before he won't ever see their faces again. "You better be grateful for this teme." He grumbled as he tried to look for a possible place to hide until the possible irritation of the villagers die down._

_But no matter how much he grumbled or whined, the peculiar feeling that he had ever since his interaction with Sasuke never faded. It wasn't exactly bad, it was just… happy?_

_Eventually, he found a safe place on top of the Hokage Monument, on top of the Yondaime's head to be more specific. He didn't know why, but the place was oddly comforting. He lied down and put his two hands on the back of his head. It might not have been comfortable, but at least he was safe._

_He stared at the stars that covered the dark sky. In confusion, he rubbed his eyes. There in the stars, he thought he could make out the image of a spiky-haired man and a long-haired woman smiling proudly down at him, and it made him feel great._

'Maybe,' _He thought. _'This day wasn't so bad after all.' _He closed his eyes, and after a while his consciousness left him with light heart and a smile on his face._

* * *

**_Flashback End_**

* * *

He put his forehead protector on his pocket and went back to looking at the stars. The stars were looking at him proudly just like that night and that made all the trouble that he had gone through all his life worth it.

He sighed contently and started to close his eyes. He didn't want to bother going back to his house. That night, he was satisfied with just sleeping under the stars, where they would watch over him diligently and lovingly.

* * *

**This was just another fic that just popped into my head while I was bored out of my mind, and I just HAD to write it.**

**Constructive Criticisms are encouraged.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Same as always. Nothing here is owned by me, except for this fanfiction's plot.**

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes groggily, remembering why he rarely slept on top of the Yondaime's head. Contrary to popular belief, it was not comfortable sleeping on a hard rock, which was why he was currently having major pains all over his body.

"Ow…" He rubbed his shoulder in pain. It was stupid of him to think that it was all right to sleep without a soft cushion. He stopped rubbing his body and looked up in alarm. "What time is it?" He asked in panic. Ignoring the pain in his body, he dashed towards the direction of the academy.

A few minutes passed before he arrived at the front of the academy. Without wasting any time, he opened the door abruptly, not caring of what the consequences of his actions are.

The door opened, revealing an entire class looking at him incredulously.

"Naruto." Iruka greeted with a deadpan stare.

Naruto released a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, wrong room!" Just as he was about to turn around and run, Iruka called him.

"Naruto!" He stopped mid-step and turned around to see a disappointed look on Iruka's face. "Why are you late this time?"

"Late? Didn't he fail the graduation exam?" He heard someone ask then laugh, followed by the laughter of the others.

_'Pfft, if they knew what I did yesterday, they'd be speechless!' _He grinned suddenly. _'An academy student learning a forbidden jutsu __**and**__ defeating a chuunin, let see them do that!'_

"Why are you grinning?" At Iruka's question, he was shook out of his stupor. He gulped silently and shook his head.

"It's nothing!"

"Sensei! You still haven't said why the dobe's here!" Another question came from the same unnamed student. Naruto pouted and turned away.

"Due to… unforeseen circumstances, Naruto here graduated." Iruka said as discreetly as he could before turning to face Naruto again. "I'm disappointed in you Naruto. It's your first day after graduating and you're late."

"It's not my fault! I slept outside so I didn't have any alarm clock!" He protested crossing his arms. His reason though appeared to make Iruka worry, indicated by the furrowing of his brow.

"Was it them?" His teacher asked him vaguely, but he knew what he was talking about. He was asking whether the villagers were out to get him again, but he shook his head and just smiled.

"Nah, I just felt like it!" Iruka's face relaxed as he turned back to the class.

"Ok, just don't do it again." Naruto nodded, running towards the only available seat, which unfortunately was next to the last Uchiha.

They hadn't interacted that much ever since that fateful day, only on spars and other group activities where it was required to interact. It was the same old routine, He taunts, and Sasuke replies haughtily then proceed to humiliating him.

"What kept you dobe?" In surprise, Naruto turned to Sasuke who was still looking ahead.

Naruto smirked and taunted, "A little less icy today I see?" Seeing that Sasuke wasn't about to reply, he shook his head and answered the Uchiha's previous question. "Something kept me. Why, are you concerned?" He grinned, elbowing Sasuke's ribs lightly.

"As if I would care about a dobe like you."

"Aaaaand it's gone." He drawled out silently before resting his feet on his desk. "You know it would do you good to talk to other people without insulting them teme."

Sasuke smirked a bit before replying, "The pot calling the kettle black."

"Tch."

"…Team seven, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke," At that, Sakura stood up and rejoiced. Naruto shook his head. What does she see in that guy? He wasn't even a guy at all! "And Uzumaki Naruto! Your Jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

Naruto widened his eyes and stood up abruptly. "Why do I have to team up with this duck-butt?" He demanded. He might not have issues with the last Uchiha, but he didn't want a teammate who only answered with a grunt. He needed to have someone to talk to, and he was sure that Sakura was out of the question, as much as he hated to admit.

"May I remind you Naruto that you are the dead last and Sasuke is the Rookie of the Year. We need to balance the team's strengths and weaknesses. Cover all the bases."

"Tch." Naruto turned his head away in protest before sitting down. He really did have nothing against Sasuke, but would it kill the guy, or girl, to have a personality? As he sunk back to his chair, he blocked the noise. He was excited, knowing that the day where he would learn about his parents' identity had come.

"Finally." He whispered.

"Hey baka!" He heard a shrill voice call out to him. He identified it as his longtime crush, Sakura. He turned to look at her and saw that she had an angry look. Great. What did he do this time?

"Yeah Sakura-chan?" He grinned at her brightly.

"I'm gonna say it right now; don't hold me and Sasuke-kun back!" She said before swooning at her 'Sasuke-kun'. "The last thing we need is to someone hold our love back!"

_'What did I see in her again?' _He wondered silently. He chuckled after seeing Sasuke's disgusted face. _'Good luck Sasuke-kyun!' _That thought made his grin wider. Unfortunately, someone took it the wrong way.

"What are you laughing at? Baka!" That was the only warning he had before he was sent flying away… towards Sasuke's lips.

Silence reigned in the classroom.

Naruto's head whipped back in a flash. "WHAT THE HELL?" Meanwhile, Sasuke was also having a major panic attack, and his face was also red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment he didn't know.

"I'm going to kill you dobe!" Sasuke said while coughing exaggeratedly.

"Don't steal my line teme!" Naruto retorted, doing the same as Sasuke. He stopped coughing as he felt tons of killing intent focused on him. Groaning, he turned to the sources. It was Sasuke's fangirl club.

"You're annoying Naruto!" With that, he was bloodied up by most of the female population in the Academy.

* * *

"That boy certainly has some luck eh?" A man who looked like the Hokage commented mirthfully as he smoked on his cigarette. "Kissing the Uchiha heiress and then being beaten to a pulp!" He shook his head amusedly. "You don't know whether he has good or bad luck."

"So it seems." Hiruzen agreed with a smile while staring at the crystal ball on his desk. The blonde's antics were certainly amusing. But he noticed that he was not as lively as he normally was. _'Probably because of later.' _He deduced before turning his gaze upward towards his Jounins. "You're all dismissed! Don't forget to pick up your teams and may the will of fire burn strongly within you all!" All of them nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"So, you're going to tell him about Minato-sensei and Kushina-san?" Hiruzen saw Kakashi Hatake, one of his most prominent Jounin, climb from the window.

"Kakashi, didn't I tell you to use the door like a normal person would?" He said in an irritated manner. In response, Kakashi shrugged. He sighed before answering, "Yes, he was very persistent about it."

Kakashi nodded before rubbing his chin in forethought. "You think it would be wise for him to know about them right now, considering his brash attitude?"

Hiruzen chuckled and took a puff from his pipe. "I thought you of all people would know what Naruto is like. While he may have Kushina's personality and brains," Kakashi chuckled too. "He has his father's looks and strategic mind."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that he would be able to determine what move would prove best for him."

Kakashi shook his head amusedly. "If only he just showed it more often." They both shared a laugh before it died down to a thick tension once more.

"Are you going to be here when I tell him?" Kakashi nodded with determination. "When he finds out that you weren't there for him when you should have, he might be angry at you."

"Anger that is well-placed." Kakashi whispered sadly.

"So be it then."

* * *

Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop with the destination of the Hokage Tower. He was excited. Who wouldn't be? After all, this was the day that he would find out the identity of his parents.

He landed in front of the Hokage Tower. This was it. He took a deep breath before pushing the doors leading to inside. He walked the halls instinctively; he already knew the place like the back of his hand. And while he was on autopilot, he was thinking what the identity of his parents was.

"Naruto-kun? What are you doing here?" He was shook out of his stupor when he heard someone call him. He was already in front of the Hokage's office. "Naruto-kun?" He turned to his right and saw one of the people who treated him right. It was the Hokage's secretary.

Grinning widely, he greeted the young lady. "It's nice to see you again Hanayuri-nee-chan!"

The secretary rolled her eyes in amusement. "It's nice to see you too Naruto-kun. But what are you doing here? Isn't it time for you to be picked up by your sensei?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's break time!" He approached the giggling secretary. "Hey, hey, Can I see Jiji?" He said giddily. Hanayuri sighed and nodded with a smile.

"Yes you can, he's not seeing anyone as far as I know." Naruto quickly said thanks and entered the Hokage's office. When he entered, he saw his grandfather and another man with a mask looking at him expectantly.

"We've been expecting you Naruto-kun." The Hokage said kindly. He returned it with a huge grin and immediately sat on a chair.

"Hey Jiji, who's this guy?" His grandfather-figure just waved his hand dismissively.

"I'll get there later Naruto since he is partially included in my lengthy explanation." Naruto just nodded silently. He could be patient when it came to something serious as this. The Hokage cleared his throat and looked at Naruto seriously. "Remember what you promised me years ago?"

Naruto nodded before answering, "Yeah, you said to promise that I won't tell anyone about who they are."

"Good." He said, nodding. "Since you already know about the Kyuubi, there's no need to make this discussion longer than it has to be. The person who sealed it to you, the Yondaime, is your father."

Naruto's eyes widened as he trembled uncontrollably. "W-What?"

"The Yondaime, Minato Namikaze, is your father." He repeated grimly.

Naruto was silent as he looked down at the ground. It was hard to take in. The man that he looked up to and aspired to become and surpass, was the same man who made his whole life a living hell, and to make matters worse, it was his own father? He only had one question that he could think of. "Why?"

"It was the only thing he could do. Would you have asked someone else's child to be a sacrifice if you were the Hokage?"

Naruto's head jerked up in anger. While he knew that he would have done what his dad had done in his position, he just couldn't remove the bitterness that he felt towards him for damning him to a life of hardness and solitude. "I don't care! Why did he have to seal that fox in me?" He demanded, tears flowing from his eyes.

"Naruto-"

"No! Why would he leave me to fend for my own? I was just a kid Jiji! You can't expect that I would be able to handle everything!" He stood up from the chair and slammed his hand on the Hokage's desk.

"He believed in you Naruto."

"His faith in me won't help me survive!" They held each other's stares for a while before the Hokage sighed and took something from his desk.

"Believe me Naruto, they really didn't want it to be this way, but there was no other choice." He stopped moving for a while, glaring coldly at nothing. "There was someone who interrupted your birth." He continued moving after he shook his head. "Minato really was excited about becoming your father, even more than your mother." He gave a photo to the sniffling Naruto who took it slowly and gently.

Naruto stared at the photo with great surprise. In the photo, there were two people, three if the bulge in the woman's stomach was included, smiling at him. The one on the right of the photo was a beautiful redheaded young woman who was sitting formally on a chair with a sheepish smile directed at the camera. On her right was a spiky-haired blonde who was standing with an eager and goofy grin as he put a hand on the woman's shoulder. Behind them was a crib filled with stuffed toys. And on top of them was a banner that was labeled 'Welcome Naruto!' along with a couple of balloons at its sides.

His mouth twitched upwards. This photo was making it hard for him to stay angry with his dad, but he was still angry nonetheless. He'll have to go on top of the Hokage Monument later and think on it.

"What about my mom? Who was she?" He asked a bit shakily.

"The heiress of the long destroyed Uzumaki clan, Kushina Uzumaki."

"How did she feel about sealing Kyuubi into me?" The Hokage frowned and shook his head.

"We don't know, but I feel that she would think of it as ironic." Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"Why?" At that, the Hokage smiled fondly.

"She was the previous container of the Kyuubi." Then the Hokage stroked his beard in thought. "Now that I mentioned it, the first jinchuuriki was also an Uzumaki, and she was also the wife of a Kage."

Naruto's eyes already widened when he found out that his mother was once a jinchuuriki like him, but when he heard that the wife of the first hokage was a relative of his, his eyes almost threatened to pop out of its sockets.

He sat down silently. It was really getting harder to take in. His mom was the heiress, and since she died, then that means that the title would pass on to him, making him the heir of the extinct Uzumaki clan.

He chuckled sardonically. _'I'm not so different from Satsuki after all…' _Naruto clenched his fist. "Jiji… Did they really love me?" He asked helplessly without looking away from the ground.

"When they were fighting the Kyuubi, they knew they were going to regret sealing it into you."

Naruto looked at the Hokage skeptically. "How would you know? You didn't talk to them."

The Hokage chuckled. "You underestimate a ninja's abilities Naruto. A good ninja prides him or herself in being able to read a person through the person's body movements and eyes." Then he smiled sadly. "And Minato and Kushina's body movements were very hesitant but determined."

"What about their eyes?"

"They were sad of course; they knew what life a jinchuuriki's life would lead. While they were happy that they you were able to live, they had many regrets."

"…"

Seeing that Naruto wouldn't respond, the Hokage continued. "This is your jounin sensei, and he was the student of your father."

Naruto's head snapped as he turned his head upwards. Yet another surprise had been shown to him. There was a person that his dad had been close to yet that person didn't take care of him. Feeling emotionally worn-out, he just let said person to explain. He looked at the person with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for not being able to take care of you Naruto. Believe me, I tried everything that I could to adopt you, but the civilian council has the authorization on who can be adopted and who can't, and since you were a civilian at that time, you fell under their jurisdiction. Many tried to adopt you, I know all of the clan leaders tried at one point, but every single request was shot down, even one from your godfather."

Naruto clenched his fists in rage. He had every opportunity to have a good family, but the civilian council took it all away. He growled lightly.

"I'm really sorry Naruto; I hope you will forgive me." The masked man said in a remorseful tone as he kneeled and put his head on the floor.

Naruto knew that he should at least feel angry with them, but now he was just spent, and he was kind of happy that there were many that tried to make him a part of their family. He just shook his head at the masked man and smiled tiredly.

"Ah, it's alright. I can't do anything about it." He stood up from his seat and turned around. "I'll just continue this talk tomorrow Jiji… I still want to think about it…" He said lifelessly, dragging his feet slowly away from the place.

* * *

Naruto sat at his usual seat, staring blankly at his desk. He had finally gotten his wish; he had finally learned about his parents' identities. But was it worth it? Was it worth knowing that his father was the one who sentenced him to be ostracized? Granted, it was the only choice that was presented to him, but did it really have to be him?

He tried to visualize himself in his father's position, what would he have done? He would do… the same thing that his father had done. He slumped in defeat. One should never ask someone else to give up something that he couldn't give up himself.

"Yo Naruto!" A boisterous sound called out to him. He looked at the source slowly. It was Kiba, one of his first friends and partners-in-crime when it came to pranking. Kiba was grinning widely at first, but he suddenly frowned when he looked at Naruto's face. "Woah, you don't look too good. Something wrong?"

Naruto offered a weak smile and shook his head. "Nah, just thinking 'bout stuff."

Kiba eyed him skeptically but relented. "I just wanted to congratulate you in graduating! Never thought the dobe would finally step out of the academy!" He laughed at his own joke, expecting to retort a comeback or something, but nothing came. He frowned again. "Man, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm good." Naruto reassured with his fake grin, but even then the fake grin probably even looked faked to Kiba. "Honest."

Kiba narrowed his eye at his friend's obvious lie. "I don't believe you."

Naruto turned away from Kiba and looked at the board. "I'm fine; I just… need some time alone." He felt Kiba's presence still linger in the area before hit went away, albeit reluctantly.

Soon enough, jounin senseis started flooding in and picking up their supposed team, until all that was left was one team, Team 7.

"Mou, what's taking sensei so long?" Sakura shrieked tapping her feet impatiently. Then she took a glance at the unresponsive Naruto with concern. Sure, she enjoyed scolding the dead last, but she didn't want to break him. "Hey Naruto-baka, are you alright?"

Naruto looked in surprise at Sakura, and then he gave her a fake grin. "Yeah –ttebayo!" He frowned inwardly when both of his supposed teammates frowned at him suspiciously. It was never a good sign when people that don't give him a time of their day, start noticing his fake smile.

Luckily, just as Sakura was about to ask her another question, their jounin sensei finally arrived.

"Well aren't you all adorable?" It was the masked man that he met earlier. Except this time, the man had a carefree expression instead of a scary and serious one. "Meet me up at the roof." With that, he was gone. And so was Naruto.

Naruto ran as if he was chased by the hounds of hell. He didn't want anyone to answer any questions at the moment. It may seem to them that he was as open book, but in reality, he was a book that only a fair few could've opened.

He finally got to the roof with no encounters with his teammates. Kakashi lost his carefree look and gave him a worried glance.

"Want to talk about it later?" He heard Kakashi. He hesitated, and then nodded. He didn't bother telling him that he was going to stay on top of the Hokage Monument later, he didn't ask. Besides, what kind of jounin would their sensei be if he couldn't even find one fresh-out-of-the-academy genin?

He sat down on one of the stairs and burrowed his head on his crossed arms. After a while, the two remaining members of the team met up with them.

"Ok, now that we're all here, why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Why don't you show us first sensei?" Kakashi rubbed his chin and the snapped his fingers.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi, I have tons of things I like, and I also have tons of things I dislike. My hobbies… Who am I kidding; all of you are too young to know that!" He said with a light perverted giggle. He cleared his throat before continuing. "As for my hobbies… Maybe one or two…"

Sakura and Sasuke deadpanned at the jounin's introduction. Naruto still stared at the jounin blankly.

"How about you Naruto?" Kakashi chirped, to which Naruto nodded.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I like ramen… I don't know how to feel about my other likes now. My dislikes, I'm confused as well. My dream was to be the greatest Hokage, but I'm questioning it now. My hobbies… pranking and gardening maybe?" Naruto introduced himself in a monotonous voice.

Both of his teammates stared at him in worry. This was not the blonde prankster they grew up with. Kakashi, on the other hand, sweat-dropped.

"Ok? Next up is you pinky!" Sakura narrowed her eyes at their sensei before introducing herself.

"My name is Haruno Sakura! I like…" She trailed off as she took a glance at the expressionless Sasuke. "My goal in life is to…" She took another glance at Sasuke and squealed.

Kakashi sweat-dropped and asked, "How about your dislikes?"

"Naruto!" Sakura proclaimed immediately. But then she looked alarmed and took a glance at Naruto to see what his reaction would be, to her surprise, concern, and dismay, Naruto continued to be unresponsive.

Kakashi sighed. Things were _really_ looking up for this team. "Ok broody, you're up!"

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, I have many dislikes and little to no likes at all. I don't have any goals, but more like an ambition… an ambition that I plan to fulfill, and that is to revive my clan and to kill a certain man."

Kakashi lowered his head in frustration. _'Great! I have a color-blind prankster with an identity-crisis, a banshee-like fangirl, and a broody Uchiha-heiress!' _He sighed before raising his head. "Alright, I'll just say it right now, out of the 27 graduates, only nine are going to pass, the ones who fail are to be sent back to the academy. In other words, this training offers a 33% chance of becoming a genin."

Sakura and Sasuke looked alarmed, whereas Naruto… still looked like a statue.

"What? But sensei, didn't we pass the academy's test?" Sakura asked in a panicked tone.

"Ah, that? That test was only to weed out those who really had no chance in the ninja world." He chuckled and pushed himself off the railings. "Ok, tomorrow, be present at Training Ground 3 at 5:00 am and bring your ninja equipment!" He turned around and was about to leave. "Ah! I almost forgot. It'd be best if you don't eat breakfast, you'll throw up if you do."

Naruto nodded and walked away inertly, leaving his other two teammates to contemplate on what they had just learned about.

"Naruto!" He turned around. "Where do you want to meet?" Kakashi asked in a casual tone.

"I'll be on top of the Hokage Monument sometime at night…" He replied as he started to walk away. He would go to one of his favorite thinking place before speaking with Kakashi.

* * *

He sat on the edge of the dock, letting his feet get soaked by the water. This was the place where he and Sasuke first smiled at each other. The first time he knew that he wasn't completely alone in the world.

It was a miserable thing being alone. There was no one to take care of him whenever he felt bad, not that he ever got sick. There was no one to talk to, to play with, and to bond with. To Naruto, it was hell. He always saw other kids leave with the thing he most craved for, a family.

He often wondered what his parents were like. But know that he knew about them, he was in turmoil. He just didn't know what to think about his parents. They were the reason why he was lonely, but they did it so that less would die.

"Dobe." His eyes widened as he heard a very familiar voice. He turned around to see Sasuke staring down at him stoically.

He instantly scowled. "What is it teme? I'm in no mood to deal with your shit right now." To his ever-growing annoyance, Sasuke smirked.

"What's in your brain right now? If you even have a brain, that is." Sasuke taunted him.

He growled in response and turned away. "Go away." Instead of doing what he said, he felt Sasuke sit near him. "What?" He demanded, not bothering to look at the Uchiha.

"What's your problem dobe?" Naruto looked at Sasuke incredulously.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that concern I hear Uchiha?" Sasuke scoffed.

"As if."

"That's funny, I could've sworn that I heard worry in your question." He said amusedly.

"Tch…" They became silent for a while.

"I found out who my parents are…" He said suddenly. Both he and Sasuke were surprised. He was surprised that he actually said what was bothering him. Sasuke was surprised that Naruto actually replied. "They were the reason that I was put in this hell." He panicked inwardly. _'What are you doing? Shut up!' _

"Oh?" Sasuke tried to look indifferent and was failing miserably. Naruto nodded.

"Jiji said they loved me, but I don't exactly believe him." He didn't know why, but he just kept speaking when he _knew_ he didn't want to.

"Why don't you believe that they loved you?"

"I don't know… I mean I should right, after all they did for me?" He sounded uncertain. "But they did also give me something that made my life hard to bear."

"What is it?"

Naruto shook his head. "Can't tell you." He frowned.

Sasuke nodded and said, "Then why don't you just think of the good things they did for you, instead of the bad ones."

"It's not as easy as you say!" He saw Sasuke shake his head.

"It's just a matter of perspective."

He had nothing to answer to that, so he just asked what the next thought that came into his mind. "What was it like, being in a family?"

Sasuke flinched a bit, but then he relaxed. "Having a family gets annoying at times, they dote on you, they constantly criticize you to make you better, and they always make sure that you're happy." Sasuke said fondly. "They support you no matter what and they always look after you." He finished quietly.

Naruto looked down at the water, thinking about everything what Sasuke had said, but when he suddenly moved his feet and a ripple was created, his face in the water changed into that of his father. Just like the stars in those two nights. He chuckled, feeling lighter than he did earlier. _'Always looking after you eh?'_

Content, he stood up and started to walk away from the dock, but stopped halfway and looked at the smiling Sasuke who was staring at the water as if in a trance. "You know, I never once thought that you of all people would comfort me."

"I never once thought that you of all people would help me back then, so I guess we're even." Sasuke retorted with a smirk.

Naruto chuckled. "It really _would_ do you well if you just smile and not be crabby once in a while, in that way maybe people would actually befriend you." He shook his head amusedly. "I know I would, you may not be as bad as I thought after all." He started walking again.

"Hn." He heard Sasuke grunt.

"Thanks Sasuke…"

"Just don't think that this is going to be a regular thing dobe." Naruto laughed boisterously as he heard that familiar line. He stopped and turned around towards Sasuke with his trademark grin.

"Heh, quit stealing my lines teme!" He yelled before jumping away from the place.

* * *

Night came quickly for Naruto because of his anticipation to talk with his late father's student. As soon as he was done talking with Sasuke, he headed towards the appointed meeting place.

"Yo." He jerked his head upwards, hearing a familiar voice. It was his awaited guest. "It looks like you were excited too."

"Yeah…" He nodded slowly as Kakashi took a seat beside him.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Kakashi said, looking at the stars.

Naruto opened and closed his mouth a few times with no words coming out of his mouth, and then after a while he finished thinking and softly said, "I… I know that my dad did it because he had no choice, after all, I would've done the same myself if the situation ever occurs, but I really can't help but feel angry at him for leaving me alone –ttebayo…"

"It's only natural, I've felt that way too when my father committed seppuku, but it wasn't until later on when things took a turn for the worse did I finally realize what my father risked his life for." Kakashi revealed sorrowfully. "Your father, Minato-sensei, and two of my friends helped me get out of my cold demeanor and depression, but in doing so, one of my friends lost his life."

"Who was he?"

Kakashi chuckled softly. "Uchiha Obito. He was unlike most Uchihas. Hyper, enthusiastic, brash, idiotic, and he was also trash." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Once upon a time, my philosophy was that 'those who don't follow the rules are trash.', a philosophy that I developed after my father died. Staying true to my philosophy, I always did everything by the book, never letting my emotions cloud my judgement, but Obito was my complete opposite. We were always at each other's neck."

Kakashi's nostalgic eyes turned dark. "Then there was a certain incident that made me change my philosophy. Our other teammate, Rin, was taken captive by an enemy ninja, and as I was then, I chose not to save her and continue the mission. Obito, on the other hand, disregarded my orders and wanted to save Rin, leaving me with his own philosophy, 'Those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.'" Kakashi shook his head sadly. "I should've followed after him immediately, but I had second thoughts. By the time I arrived there, Obito was already under attack by an enemy ninja."

"I managed to save him, but we were unlucky, I was only a newly appointed jounin at that time and our opponent was already an experienced shinobi. He nearly killed Obito, but I interfered at the last minute and saved him at the price of my left eye. It was a near-death experience for us both, and through it, Obito finally gained his Sharingan. With it, he defeated the enemy jounin and freed Rin. But we didn't expect for reinforcements to appear. They made the cave where we were, collapse. I was almost hit by one of the falling rocks, but Obito, the idiot, sacrificed himself for me."

"Half of his body was crushed, and he gave me a gift, to compensate for the one that he didn't give me earlier in celebration of me becoming a jounin."

"What is it?"

"His Sharingan. I completed my own Jutsu because of it. After Rin transplanted Obito's Sharingan to my left eye, I attacked the reinforcements, even though it was going to be pointless, and it was then than Minato-sensei appeared and saved the two of us."

"What about Obito?"

"It was too late; the rocks completely gave away and crushed him fully." Kakashi chuckled morbidly. "'Those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' Obito was trash. I was worse than trash."

"…"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I completely changed the topic."

"It's all right."

"As I was saying before I got off-track, It's only natural that you would feel angry, but don't let it cloud your judgment, like I had, or else it would just bring you pain. Learn from your sensei's mistakes."

Naruto nodded.

"What was he like? You know, my dad?"

"Minato-sensei was a very kind and compassionate person. He would never turn a blind eye when someone's in trouble. He was helpful, supportive, jolly, smart, creative, humble, and also enthusiastic in every single thing he does. But, he's also the jealous type."

"Eh?"

"I remember that your father told me that someone once asked your mother out, and when she agreed, your father was absolutely livid." Kakashi laughed. "He stalked them as they were going out on a date, and when it was over, Minato-sensei found out that it was actually just a ploy to make him get jealous."

Naruto stared at his sensei with disbelief. "My dad, was a stalker?"

"He's not a stalker, he's just possessive and jealous."

"Word it anyway you want, it's still a stalker." Naruto deadpanned before shrugging. "Oh well, it just shows you love someone… Even if it's to the point of obsession." He added the last part quietly.

* * *

A pale-eyed girl sneezed just as she was about to go to sleep, making her feel wide awake.

"Mou… Why does someone have to talk about me just when I sleep?" She whispered with a pout, snuggling her fox plushy.

* * *

Somewhere in a bright and cloudy place, a blonde, spiky-haired, man was sulking as he was being poked repeatedly by a redheaded, long-haired woman.

"Hear that Minato? You're a stalker!" The blonde, now named Minato, groaned.

"I only did it _once_ Kushina!" Kushina smirked playfully and rolled her eyes.

"It only happened once because you beat that guy into a pulp when he tried to kiss me. After that, no one_ dared_ to ask me out, saying that Minato would be angry if anyone tried to make a move on _his_ Kushina." Kushina laughed while Minato groaned once more.

"Ugh."

"Aww, don't be like that Minato-koi!" Kushina chirped as she hugged one of Minato's arms.

* * *

"What about my mom? What was she like?"

"You were more like your mom than your dad personality-wise. She was just like Obito, brash, battle-oriented, hyper-active, a great prankster; although she only developed her prankster tendencies after Minato-sensei rescued her from some Cloud ninjas if Rin's information was right."

Naruto grinned. "So dad rescued mom and she fell in love with him?"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it." Kakashi sighed. "Kushina-san was like a mother for Rin, Obito, and I. Same with Minato-sensei."

Naruto stayed silent for a while before looking up at the stars, which were also looking at him. "How were they like when they found out that I was going to be born?"

"They were ecstatic; Minato-sensei couldn't even shut up about it for one minute, Kushina-san, on the other hand, was quiet, but she had this certain glow that would make you feel calm." Kakashi chuckled. "They loved you Naruto, of that, have no doubts."

Naruto put both his hands on the back of his head and lied down. "I don't doubt that they loved me, I'm just throwing a tantrum." He said with a grin. "I am still a kid you know!"

"Ah well." Kakashi stood up and eye-smiled at him. "See you tomorrow I guess. Ja ne!" Kakashi mock saluted and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto sighed tiredly and looked up at the stars. He was still angry at them for leaving him, but now he understood that they simply had no choice but to seal the darned fox into him. He knew that they loved him and he loved them. And he wasn't about to let them down. He was going to make them proud. Maybe if he asked Jiji tomorrow he'd be able to know what the situation was and how the Kyuubi got unsealed from his mom.

He yawned suddenly. Damn he was tired. He cursed as he realized that he wanted to sleep there again.

_'Maybe I should make a house here, or maybe just bring a sleeping bag everyday…' _He thought with a smile as he closed his eyes, not caring that they had an early test the day after.

* * *

**R&R**

**Constructive Criticisms are very encouraged, flames are frowned upon.**


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